Instead, they play lovers kept apart by McConaughey's pesky fugitive-from-the-law status, which has him holed up in a remote backwater, camped out in an abandoned boat and pining for Witherspoon's Juniper and "good luck" nightingales she has tattooed on her hands.

Lucky for him, two teens (Dalton Gray and Tye Sheridan) stumble on McConaughey's Mud and take up his cause—getting off the island and reuniting (and running off) with his girl.

But, as Mud himself notes, "There are things you can get away with in this world and things you can't—and there are bigger obstacles in his way than just patching up a rusted-out boat and traversing a few miles.

Nope, Mud's also got violent bounty hunters after him, and that means Juniper's got 'em at her doorstep, too.

We're used to seeing Witherspoon onscreen looking about as dolled up as can be, so Mud offers up a decided change of pace. In keeping with their hard-luck circumstances, neither McConaughey nor his love interest seems to have spent much time in the makeup chair—except for dirt and bruise application, that is.

Mud also stars Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon and Sarah Paulson, and will be out in limited release on April 26.